Visiting Galleries

I'M MELTINGGGGGG!!!  And I'm not even a witch (good or bad)! First day of summer came in like a blast furnace.  And to think I wanted it to stop raining! What was I thinking? 101 degrees today in lovely Lathrop.

But that isn't what I want to blog about, just a little complaint while I drip on my computer.

As I mentioned in my last blog a couple of days ago, I went to the Madrone gallery on Saturday to see the 2011 Sketchbook tour.  For inspiration, there is nothing like looking at actual pieces of art.  Very different from seeing the same pieces in a book or online.  No matter how well the copy is, it is never the same as the original.

I remember visiting the Smithsonian when the grandson was a tiny, portable child.  one of the exhibits I saw as Mary Cassatt's work.  Her early work realistic portraits.  One of the paintings, done before her Impressionist style developed was of two women.  It was quite detailed and when  I got close to it I could see that all of her amazing DETAIL was done with a two inch brush! I had seen that painting in books and on slides before but had never been able to see the actual brushstrokes until I saw it in person.

So, as soon as you can, go look at paintings.